


Wherever I'm Needed

by orphan_account



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Derek is Lois Lane, Gerard is Lex Luthor, I don't know where this came from or where it is going, Lydia replaces Perry White, M/M, POV Stiles, Reporter Derek, Reporter Stiles, Scott is Jimmy Olsen, Stiles is Superman/Clark Kent, and she is 10x scarier, good luck
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-07
Updated: 2015-02-09
Packaged: 2018-03-10 21:28:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,394
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3304088
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Superman!AU that no one asked for. </p><p>Stiles Stilinski, nerdy reporter for the Daily Planet is the opposite of super. He is clumsy, distracted, never takes anything serious, he can't even see if not for his glasses. </p><p>At least, that's what everyone thinks. All of his coworkers know that he is clever, what they don't know is that he is clever enough to hide a double life. </p><p>So when Metropolis gains a caped superhero flying around and saving the day, Stiles' desk mate and fellow reporter, Derek Hale, starts to investigate this mysterious do-gooder.  Which just gives Stiles all more the challenge of hiding his secret identity.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Date or Interview?

**Author's Note:**

> *I should really get a beta*

"Who are you?" Derek was staring at Stiles with an expression of wonder and admiration that made Stiles fight to not fall to his knees. 

He worked right across from Derek everyday in the bullpen, he had the other man's feature memorized right down to the way his front teeth come down a little further than the rest in an absolutely perfect manner. 

But he'd always seen Derek with a neutral expression or an intense scowl as he typed up an article.

This was something else entirely. He had soot spread out over his chin and cheek from the burning complex Stiles had pulled him out of. His eyebrows were lax and his mouth just barely hung open. And those green eyes, that tied Stiles' stomach in knots, were wide and free of their usual frustration. 

_Okay, Stiles. You can do this. Just like you practiced._ He thought to himself. 

"I'm Superman." He said in his natural voice, lower than the one he uses at work and around people who don't know his secret. He stood tall with his shoulder's broad. He placed his fists on his hips and instantly regretted it but knew that if he brought them down he'd look unsure and nervous, the same way he acts at work. 

"Superman..." Derek repeated. Suddenly he was pulling our his ever-present pen and pad from his pocket. "Could I interview you?" He asked in a way so unabashed Stiles was jealous of the other journalist. 

Stiles was about to respond when he heard ringing. The silent ringing an alarm system sets off to alert the police. 

"Shit." He cursed under his breath and began to float off of the ground. "Where do you work?" He asked, feigning ignorance. 

"The Daily Planet. I'm Derek Hale." 

"Well then, Derek Hale, meet me on the roof of the Daily Planet tomorrow at nine." He couldn't stop himself from smiling at the man below him. 

And Derek smiled back. "Can't wait."

It took all of Stiles' willpower to not pump his fist into the air as he flew away from the abandoned sidewalk. 

He sped to the jewelry store in question and rounded up the three thugs without a second thought. 

After that he finished his patrol around the city and flew back to his apartment. 

Scott, his roommate and coworker, was working on something on the kitchen stove. 

Stiles changed out of his super suit and came up behind his best friend. 

"I've got big news, Scotty!" Stiles positively beamed. "Big news that you'll never guess!" 

Scott turned to look at Stiles and smiled. "Well you're floating so it has something to do with Derek." 

Stiles looked down to find out his feet were indeed off of the ground. "It has everything to do with Derek so I reserve the right to float." 

"What about Derek?" Kira, Scott's girlfriend, called from the living room before entering the kitchen, still in her EMT uniform. Stiles almost dropped to the floor, half forgetting that she already knew about his powers. It had only been two months since they had had to tell her given how often she was at the apartment. 

Not that Stiles minded Kira knowing. He knew that if Scott had faith in someone they were really worth trusting. 

"Stiles has big news." Scott informed her without looking up from the contents of the pot, happily accepting the kiss Kira placed on his cheek. 

"Ooh! Do tell." She grinned up at Stiles. 

Stiles almost blushed. "I have a date. With Derek." 

"Wait wait, hold up," Scott immediately spoke up, interrupting Kira's excited squeal. "Stiles Stilinski has a date with Derek? Or Superman has a date with Derek? Don't look surprised. Derek's already texted about taking some photos of the office he was investigating. Something about it being burnt down mysteriously?"

Stiles rolled his eyes. "Okay, Superman has a date."

Scott leveled his best friends with a skeptical yet somehow hopeful look. 

"Okay! It's an interview! But it will just be me and Derek. All alone." 

"Where? When? Oh, tell me what happened!" Kira's grin only grew as she pulled three bowls out of the cupboard and set them around the small kitchen island. 

Stiles happily divulged into how the nearly empty office complex had mysteriously caught fire and exactly how the few people that were inside had escaped except for Derek. Who Stiles, heroically, pulled out of the crumbling fourth floor and deposited the unscathed journalist on a rooftop across the street where the two planned to meet on top of the Daily Planet tomorrow. 

Stiles like to dramatize the telling of his heroic actions when telling them to Kira. It was fun for all parties involved. 

 

///////////

 

Stiles went to work and sat at his desk as calmly as he could. As far as anyone was concerned, Stiles Stilinski had no plans for his Friday evening. He couldn't give anything away dealing with just how excited he was about tonight. 

Derek, however, had no issue showing he was in an excited mood. 

"You are looking positively giddy today Hale. Should I be worried?" Stiles said with a harmless bite in his voice, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose in a falsely pretentious manner. Turned out pretending to not know about Derek's plans after work hours was fairly easy. 

Derek gave Stiles one of his signature looks; one eyebrow raised, mouth in some sort of half smirk. 

"If you have to know, Hills," 

Stiles always went back and forth on the nickname he got the moment he explained his origin from the small no name town he grew up in. But when Derek said it it made Stiles' heart flutter just slightly. 

"I... have a date." Stiles wanted to laugh at the fact that he wasn't the only who had called their meet-up a date. 

"A date?" Stiles raised his eyebrows, using the same teasing voice he used on Scott when he first met Kira. "Might I ask who this lucky contender for Derek Hale's heart is?" 

"I don't know yet. It's a blind date."

_Well that's one way to put it._

Stiles could have sworn he saw color rising in Derek's cheeks. 

"Just be careful, Hale. Could be a killer." Stiles teased in a cliche singsong voice. 

"Believe me, he's far from a killer." 

Stiles had a clever response but he quickly realized that Derek had whispered that under his breath at a volume that no human would have been able to hear at this distance. 

Not that Stiles was human but Derek didn't know that. 

"Hale!" Lydia Martin's trademark shriek rang out through the office. "In my office!" 

"Good luck!" Stiles gave the other man a grin as he made his way to the chief editor's office. 

Derek flipped Stiles off with a smirk on his way.

Stiles felt guilty for listening in on Derek and Lydia's conversation but anyone - read Scott - could tell you how little self control Stiles truly had. 

"What good is a story about an old locally owned company when the company's place of work burns to the ground?" Lydia asked in a voice that could give even the hardest criminal's nightmares. Stiles did not want to know what her face looked like. "You're story is literally ashes and you still refuse to give up your spot on tomorrow's paper to Mahealani? You're on thin ice, Hale."

"I'm keeping the spot because I have a story." Derek stated cooly. Stiles will forever be jealous of his composure and seeming immunity to Lydia's wrath. 

"Oh you do?" Lydia bit out, no doubt frowning. "Well, please let's read this story. With the importance you seem to be giving this it must be a Pulitzer winner. Or the newest book of the bible!" 

"It isn't complete yet. I have one more interview to conduct." Derek explained, he almost sounded anxious. No, excited? 

"A last minute interview? With whom?" 

"The man that saved me from the fire. I'm interviewing him tonight." Derek said without hesitation. 

Lydia was silent for a nail-bitingly tense moment. "You're lucky you're a good writer, Derek. I better have a copy of this article finished and proof-read by tomorrow morning and it better blow my mind. Or else I'm giving the spot to Danny and his report on the new park in the projects. Now get out." 

Derek thanked Lydia and left her office, walking back to his desk undeterred. 

"So, how'd it go?" Stiles asked him more so for the sake of asking than anything else. 

"I have a little less than twenty four hours to finish and edit my article if I want to keep my spot on the front page." 

"Yikes. Are you gonna cancel your date with mystery man?" 

Derek had an almost devious glint in his eyes. "Oh no, Hills. No way in hell I'm canceling this date." He said in a voice so determined Stiles was thankful he was sitting so that there was no threat of his weak knees giving out. 

_It's not really a date._ He reminded himself. _It's an interview._

Stiles slumped back in his chair, adjusted his glasses, and tried his best to not look directly at Derek for the rest of the day.


	2. Interview

It was 8:49 and Derek was still typing away at his computer. Stiles had his laptop bag slung over his shoulder. 

"What time is that date, Hale? Wouldn't want your mystery man to think you're standing him up." Erica Reyes, the resident advice columnist, called out as she walked with Stiles to the elevator. 

The three of them were the only ones left on the floor. Stiles knew that Derek was waiting for him and Erica to be gone so he'd have the chance to head up to the roof. 

"I've got time." Derek responded easily, still looking at the computer. 

Erica rolled her eyes and followed Stiles into the elevator. 

The doors closed and Erica did not hesitate to start speaking. 

"I'm starting to think that his date canceled on him. What do you think, Stilinski?" 

"Huh?" Stiles started just slightly, keeping up his clumsy act that helped to keep people from believing he could be Superman. He ran a hand through his messy hair, putting on his best thinking face. "It's possible. Maybe, he thought blind dates never work? I know I've been on some disastrous ones..." 

Erica laughed. "Oh I'm sure you have! You haven't been letting McCall set you up anymore have you? After he tried that with you and what's her face, the one in charge of the obits... Maria?" 

"Malia." Stiles supplied, halfway wincing at the memory of their less than desirable evening. "She was better than meeting someone from a dating cite, though." Stiles joked.

Erica scared him sometimes but he likes that they were close enough to have fun mindless conversations every once and awhile. 

Erica laughed again, clearly picturing Stiles trying out online dating. The elevator door opened and the two walked into the lobby and out of the building. 

"I'll see you around Stilinski! Hopefully at a bar, meeting _actual_ people!" Erica called out cheerfully as she sashayed down the street. 

Stiles chuckled before racing back into the building unseen and discarding his work clothes for his super suit. He took off his glasses and styled his hair so that it wouldn't resemble the usual mess he has when he's at work. 

He was on the roof, waiting for Derek in less than a minute. 

Yes, he was early. But he could already hear Derek packing up his things and pacing back and forth on the office floor, nervously muttering to himself about showing up too early. 

Stiles waited a few more minutes until Derek's footsteps were so close that Stiles didn't need his super hearing. 

Derek stepped out of the door and onto the roof, illuminated by the bright rotating globe perched on top to signify the Daily Planet. 

He smiled easily when he spotted Stiles hovering just above the roof. "You're here." 

"I promised an interview." Stiles waved his arms out in a small gesture. 

"You're... floating." Derek nearly gaped as he stared at Stiles' feet. 

"Oh, right." Stiles drifted down until his feet touched the roof, he stood within four feet of Derek. "I was floating yesterday too." Stiles raised an eyebrow. 

Derek huffed out a laugh. "I thought that I was hallucinating from smoke inhalation." He admitted. 

Stiles smiled, he liked Derek laughing, and lifted about a foot and a half off of the ground. "Not a hallucination. Scout's honor." He held up the signature Boy Scout salute. 

Derek smirked and pulled his recorder out of his pocket, pressing the red record button. "How are you able to do that? You're not a part of some new race of superhumans, are you?" 

Stiles could hear the heat in Derek's voice and he smirked right back. 

"No. No, in fact, I'm not human."

"Then what are you?" 

Stiles took in a deep breath. He hasn't told anyone outside of Scott and Kira these facts. And he was about to tell Derek so that Derek could tell the entire city. Hell, the entire country. Half of America reads Derek's online articles. 

"I come from a planet called Krypton." Stiles started. 

"Krypton? As in the noble gas?" 

"They are spelled the same." Stiles nodded with a smile. "I'm not sure why, though. My home planet is light years away from earth and there was no way there could have been communication between the two when the element was discovered and named." 

Derek smiled at that. "So you are an alien?" 

Stiles nodded confidently.

Derek didn't look totally convinced but continued. "Why did you choose come to Earth? If there is life on your planet there must be others too." 

"I have no idea what other planets support life to be honest." Stiles had never given that serious thought. He swallowed nervously before adding. "Coming here wasn't a choice that I made.

"When I was just an infant, I was actually sent here by my biological parents in an attempt to save my life." 

"Save your life? From what?" 

"From Krypton. The planet's core was unstable and not long after they sent me off, it collapsed in on itself. It's gone." 

Derek had a sympathetic look on his face but did not say the seemingly customary 'I'm so sorry.' Which intrigued Stiles but he wasn't the one conducting the interview. 

"Is the fact that you're not human why you can fly?" 

"Yes, Krypton orbited a much older star and had a stronger gravity. The difference in gravity allows me to fly and Earth's yellow sun is what empowers me because I can a lot more than fly." Stiles winked. 

"What all can you do?" Derek asked in a professional voice, trying to keep focus. But Stiles could see some pink coloring his ears.

"Now, that's something better seen than heard." 

"Then show me." Derek smiled challengingly. 

Stiles smirked and tapped his chin; he could do a lot of things. Which to do first? 

"What would you say is the best coffee shop in Metropolis?" 

Derek raised his eyebrow with a confused expression before answering. "Boyd's. It's a little hole in the wall over on ninth." 

Stiles smiled, he knew the place. He had known the answer too. Erica was married to Vernon Boyd, the owner, and brought Stiles and Derek coffee from her husband's shop every once in awhile. It was Stiles' favorite too. 

Stiles zoomed off of the roof and made a simple latte, maneuvering around the nearly stagnant employees as they worked at an already slow pace given the hour. He made something that was close to Derek's regular but not close enough to raise suspicion. 

He left the amount the coffee cost in the tip jar and was back on the rooftop in what would be nearly a second to Derek. 

He held the coffee out to Derek to take. 

Derek stared at Stiles as if he'd just conjured the coffee out of thin air and took it slowly. 

"Don't worry, I paid for it. That'll be $2.75, by the way." Stiles held his hand out as If he expected Derek to pay him and laughed at Derek's expression as he took his hand back. 

Derek's smile was almost shy as he took his first sip of the coffee. 

"So you're super fast. What else?" Derek repositioned the recorder in his hands. 

"All my senses are heightened. And then some. For example, I can hear everyone walking on the street right now. Or in that building over there, and there, and there." He pointed to the skyscrapers surrounding the daily planet. "But I've gotten really good at tuning the extra noise out." 

"What did you mean by 'And then some'?" 

"I can see things up to a couple of miles away. I can see through anything too." Stiles tapped his temple. "But I prefer to look at things and people for what they are. Hell, I know I don't want human eyes scrutinizing me. No way am I going to do that to someone else with these." 

Derek gave a small smile but quickly hid it, taking a sip from his coffee. "Is that all?" 

Stiles thought for a moment. "Oh yeah! There's about three more." He motioned for Derek to give him a moment and he flew away, quickly find an old piece of scrap metal. 

Derek gave him a blank stare, not knowing what to expect most likely. 

Stiles just smiled and folded and shaped the sheet of iron as if we're paper, getting an honest eyebrow raise out of Derek. 

"Super strength..." He heard Derek mutter under his breath. 

Stiles smiled to himself and held the folded piece of metal up in his hand to stare at it. He felt the fire behind his eye and watched with glee was the metal began to flow bright red and melt in his hand. He waited until the lowest drop was nearly an inch away from his skin before blowing on the piece and feeling it instantly harden and cool down substantially. 

Derek was nodding. Then he glanced up at Stiles' face and smiled warmly again. "You might want to calm the expression down. You look like a second grader who just got a gold star." 

Stiles rolled his eyes and set the piece of metal on the ground. "It's been awhile since I've shown someone all that I can do." 

An idea clearly formed behind Derek's eyes but it quickly dissipated. 

"So what do you intend to do? With your powers and this whole getup?" Derek gestured to Stiles' super suit. 

"To help people whenever I can." 

"You aren't worried of opposition or fear?" Derek's eyebrows furrowed. 

"How do you mean?" 

"You're not human. You came here from another planet and now you're here in Metropolis with nearly godlike abilities. That's gonna cause quite a stir." 

Stiles nodded. "If I'm not needed or wanted. I'll stop what I'm doing. But until then, I am going to continue." 

Derek smirked. "One last thing. Can I get a picture?" 

Stiles balked. "What?"

"I work for a newspaper, Superman." 

"Right. Right. Here give me the camera."

Derek did so hesitantly. 

"Can't take a picture in this lighting." Stiles explained with a wink and flew away before coming back after a few seconds. 

"Here." He handed the camera back to Derek, photos of him standing with his fists on his hips as well as proof of him showing off his powers. 

Derek looked at them. "Where did you go?" 

"West coast." Stiles said as if it were obvious. "It's still daylight over there."

Derek gave stiles an almost endeared look. "Well, thank you for this, Superman. You may not realize it but you are saving my life right now even more so than you did yesterday." 

Stiles chuckled. "You do realize that this is an interview and that I pulled you out of a _burning building_ yesterday, right?" 

"You haven't met my editor." Derek countered. 

_Oh but I have._ Stiles thought and he understood what Derek was saying completely. 

"Well, I should let you get to writing then, shouldn't I?" Stiles began to float off of the roof. 

"Will I see you around?" 

"Wherever I'm needed." Stiles winks before flying away.

**Author's Note:**

> I have no idea as to how a real life newspaper is run and put together and scheduled. Oh well - my bad.
> 
> Don't be scared to leave comments I love them all!
> 
> I do not have a posting schedule planned but I do have this story mostly mapped out so don't worry!
> 
> \--Caroline <3


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